Robbery May Be Motive In Slaying Of Man Beside Road, Police Say

Robbery appears to be the motive in the fatal shooting of an Orange County auto mechanic who was killed while inspecting his car by the side of the road, detectives said Monday.

Jon A. Newell, 31, 5348 Brownell St., was beside his car with his pregnant wife when three men pulled up behind them Sunday night on State Road 520 about a quarter-mile north of the Bee Line Expressway.

Newell had stopped the car on the way home from Cocoa to check an odd noise, said Sgt. Steve Jones, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

When the other car pulled up, ''they must have thought it was somebody stopping to help them,'' Jones said.

Instead, at least one man confronted Newell. Three shots were fired, and Newell was hit in the upper body. His wife, Karen Lynn Newell, was uninjured. She was not available for comment Monday.

Detectives think the killers might have been looking for cash and valuables, although they are not ruling out other motives.

''We're looking at everything at this point,'' homicide Detective John Allen said.

They're also looking at a possible connection to a crime that occurred about three months ago at Newell's house in the Lockhart area, Allen said. Newell heard noises outside his house and was attacked when he went out to investigate. Further details were not available Monday.

Newell and his wife were married March 28 in Las Vegas. They were expecting their first child.

Newell worked as a ''master auto technician'' at Massey Cadillac in Orlando. He started at the dealership about seven years ago before it changed ownership in 1990.

''All of the technicians are upset over this,'' said a co-worker who asked not to be identified. ''It's been a quiet day around here.''

Detectives are looking for a Chevrolet Impala that is missing a right rear hubcap, has a burned-out right taillight and ''BADBOY'' on the rear window in white letters. The number-letter combination on the license tag begins with SR2 or R62.